To give your loved one a dignified send-off and for your peace of mind, taking up a funeral cover for as little as KSh 160 per month is a life-changing possibility. 

High costs of expenses after death have become a source of financial burden to families who are at times forced to sell their assets, such as land, livestock, and houses, to bury their loved ones. This exposes them to a triple blow of debt and poverty in addition to enduring grief.

There is, however, a societal shift in how funeral expenses are catered for in Kenya.

Historically, funeral expenses were a communal affair offset through the ‘Harambee spirit’. However, in urban areas where ‘individualism’ reigns, the ‘Harambee spirit’ has been eroded, leaving families and individuals to shoulder the cost of death.

According to a survey by Ipsos, commissioned by the Association of Kenya Insurance (AKI) in 2018, in Kenya, standard funeral budgets are in the range of about KSh 50,000 to KSh 300,000 for an average middle-class family, while a Muslim funeral costs about KSh 10,000.

The cost of funerals in Kenya differs due to a combination of factors. For those in the Western and Nyanza regions, there are high costs of food and transport incurred due to culture, while deaths after illness may also push funeral costs to between KSh 400,000 and KSh 2,500,000.

Despite the prevalence of funerals and the ever-rising costs associated with them, only three per cent of Kenyans have taken funeral insurance cover, according to the Ipsos 2018 survey.

A key barrier to the uptake of funeral insurance was found to be mainly cultural. In the Kenyan culture, it is taboo to talk about death or even to plan for it.

Other barriers include the lack of knowledge of the different offers of funeral insurance as well as the general negative perceptions Kenyans have towards insurance in general.

These are some of the different offers of funeral insurance covers in Kenya:

InsuranceOffering
BritamSold as a stand-alone product to a family of at least 4. Premium: Minimum KSh 770. Maximum depends on variables. Benefit: Minimum KSh 150,000, maximum KSH 500,000. Age at entry: Minimum 18 years, Maximum 65 years (Cover limit – 82 years) No medical examination is required.  
APAPumzisha package – Covers nuclear family, parents, and parent-in-law. Premium: Average of KSh 2,000 per month Benefit: Get KSh 500,000 within 48 hours of death (which covers mortuary, casket, hearse, flowers, programme, refreshments)  
UmashFamily cover – Covers nuclear family, parents, parent- in-law. Comprehensive option premium: KSH 500 per month Benefit: KSh 150,000 (which covers van hearse, casket, advert on radio 1 slot, a wreath, and a portrait photo)  
Montezumma + MadisonCovers nuclear family, parents, parent- in-law. For someone up to 75 years, the premium is KSh 1,925 p.a or KSh 160 monthly. Minimum benefit: KSh 100,000  
CICLast Mile Cover – from Diaspora to Kenya to final resting place Premium: KSh 3,000 per month Benefit: KSh 2 million Age at entry: Maximum 60 years (Cover limit – 70 years)